


Southern Nights

by Storynightlight



Series: Zutara Drabble December [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Background Relationships, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Platonic Relationships, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, ZKDrabbleDecember
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27835540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storynightlight/pseuds/Storynightlight
Summary: Nights at the South Pole are not something Zuko is used to, luckily Katara knows exactly what could cheer him up. It may just be one of the best experiences of Zuko's life.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Drabble December [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037445
Kudos: 12
Collections: ZK Drabble December 2020





	Southern Nights

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Zutara December Drabbles 2020
> 
> Prompt 1: Nightfall

Zuko was woken up by the sound of steps outside his room. Not daring to move he laid still on his side, facing the corner of the room where his dao swords rested. His breathing was slow and silent, his room was illuminated only by the moonlight and, so far, there was complete silence. He turned his head a little towards the door and, after seeing it wasn’t moving, sat up in the bed covered in animal pelts.  
He briefly wondered if he had imagined things. After all, nights at the South Pole were considerably different from the ones at the Fire Nation and he still hadn’t gotten used to the cold environment of the Southern Water Tribe, no matter that it wasn’t his first visit. Maybe he was just exhausted from the trip and his mind was playing tricks on him as a result. Or maybe his council’s paranoia had finally gotten to him and he was now associating everything with assassination attempts even though he was miles away from the Fire Nation.  
The return of the sound convinced him that he was not making things up. He slowly got up from the bed and stared at the door. The sound stopped once again which meant that the person had stopped in their tracks. Walking carefully towards the door he prepared himself in case the door opened and the person attacked him. He was grateful that he was good at stealth and, as such, had an upper hand when it came to surprising his opponents. He breathed slowly, his inner fire burning brightly to help him stand the cold, and watched as the ice door slowly opened.  
As the person slowly walked into the room he reached for their arms and pinned them behind the person’s back. Holding their wrists together with his right hand and covering the intruder’s mouth with his left one Zuko pushed himself against the wall, keeping a tight grip on the person who he now could see was wearing a parka, probably to avoid being recognized. The intruder struggled against his grip and, in the frenzy of the moment, bit his hand causing him to uncover their mouth.  
“Zuko, it’s me! Let me go!” the intruder spoke. And it that moment he realized that the intruder was a woman, a woman he knew very well, a woman who was going to kick his ass if he didn’t let her go. So, he released her immediately.  
“Agni Katara,” he began, rubbing his hand where she had bit him. “what were you thinking, coming into my room like that?”  
It took a moment for both of them to calm down completely. During their brief struggle Katara´s hoodie had come down and he could now see her bright blue eyes staring back at him while she absentmindedly played with her braid.  
“Sorry Zuko, I just didn’t think you’d be awake.” She looked at the floor while crossing her arms. “Were you having trouble sleeping? You know what…I should go. See you in the morning.” She headed for the door but was stopped by Zuko’s hand on her shoulder.  
Zuko looked at her in the eye and sighed. “Katara wait, it’s fine now.”  
“It clearly isn’t, I almost gave you a heart attack!”  
“No, no you didn’t.” he lowered his hand “Why are you here though? Did something happen? Is everything alright with Sokka and Suki?”  
Katara shook her head “No, everything is fine with them. Well, they have been more nervous than usual but it’s just because the wedding is near and you know how they are.” She explained, still having her arms crossed. It was clear she was still embarrassed by the whole situation.  
Zuko nodded in understanding “I see. So, everything’s fine then?”  
“Yes, everything’s fine. I came here, actually, because I want to show you something. And before you ask, no. It cannot wait until the day.” Given the tone of her voice, Zuko knew she wasn’t going to take no for an answer so he had no option but to tell her that he would be ready in an instant.  
Once he had put on the parka and gloves that had been given to him upon his arrival, Zuko followed Katara outside the large ice building that now served as the house for Chief Hakoda and his family. The Southern Water Tribe truly had changed during the last five years and it had come a long way from the small village Zuko had once invaded while looking for the Avatar. It now looked more like a city in all of it’s prime and it had recovered quite nicely from the Hundred Year War. Zuko was happy to see the tribe at peace now even if his first visit there would forever haunt him.  
Katara guided him outside the house and away from the buildings. Zuko at first wondered if they were allowed to go that far away from the house but knowing Katara, she would do whatever she pleased no matter what the others told her so he did not question where they were going. Besides, this was Katara he was talking about, the girl that had saved his life after he had protected her from his sister. He trusted her with his life so he doubted she had anything devious planned for him.  
“Come on, we’re almost there.” She called out to him as she climbed a small snow hill. There was a certain excitement in her voice mixed with a little joy that made him wonder what was so exciting that she needed to wake him up in the middle of the night for him to see it. He watched as she sat down in the snow and beckoned him to accompany her. “Now Zuko, it’s nothing dangerous. You’ll like it, I promise.”  
He followed her command and sat down next to her. The spot she had chosen was smart, it was quite far from the house but it was still dimly illuminated. The night was calm and, without anyone else near, it provided a sense of relaxation that he really appreciated, even though he was a firebender visiting the South Pole.  
“Katara,” he began after some time had passed without the two saying a word. “don’t get me wrong but what exactly are we supposed to be looking at?”  
“Shhh, it’s starting. Look!” she pointed to the sky and Zuko turned his head towards where she was pointing. And that was when he saw it.  
It happened way to fast. Across the dark sky a streak of light suddenly appeared cutting into the darkness like a sharp knife. It appeared to have a life of its own since it moved so fluently through the sky in a way that could only be described as magical. The green light, bright and captivating, danced through the sky while changing colors. Yellow, blue, purple, the colors painted the sky in a way Zuko had never seen. There was nothing in the Fire Nation that could compare to this; it was as if the sky was alive right in front of him and had blessed him with this scenery. In that moment, he forgot everything. No Fire Nation, no council, no trades, nothing else mattered at the moment. The only thing that he could focus on was the dancing lights in front of him.  
“Wow.” He muttered “It’s so beautiful.” He turned to look at Katara, who was watching the sky with her face full of wonder and admiration as well.  
“It really is, isn’t it?” she wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. “I was hoping you’d enjoyed it. I know that nights here may be kind of difficult for you, having the Sun so far from you and with the nights seeming longer than what they really are. That and also the fact that ever since you arrived I’ve hardly seen you relax even though you were invited to Sokka’s wedding not as the Fire Lord but as Zuko, our friend. You have enough weight on your shoulders back in the Fire Nation but here you have nothing to worry about. I know your visit is short but during this time maybe you could come and look at the southern lights, it really helps.”  
Her voice was so sincere and so caring, just like how she had always been. It appeared that some things just never changed and that included Katara’s caring nature. Never before had Zuko been more grateful for having such a wonderful person in his life, someone who would always have his back just a he would always have hers.  
“Thank you Katara.”.  
She smiled at him and turned her attention towards the lights once more. Watching her admire the colorful sky of the South Pole, Zuko couldn’t help but to smile.


End file.
